Nigerian Religious Leaders and the Fate of the Common Man

Nigerian politicians should be grateful to Christianity, Islam and our modern traditional religious practices that promise people hope for a better life or heaven after enduring the sufferings of present-day Nigeria. The reality is that the current state of the country calls for a revolution, but many Nigerians are too optimistic to challenge the status quo.

No one thinks we may be smelling some hellfire in this nation. Youths graduate regularly, work tirelessly, and try to be as law-abiding as they can, yet a few Individuals are reaping the fruits of our collective efforts. 

Our schools are severely underfunded, and teachers are not paid a fair wage. Doctors are forced to work in multiple hospitals to make ends meet, while lawyers are often forced to compromise their ethics in order to succeed. The judiciary is plagued by corruption and cronyism, and religious figures often use their influence to manipulate their followers for personal gain.

Politicians, often resembling more thuggish figures than virtuous leaders, distribute the nation’s wealth amongst themselves. They rely on both mainstream and self-proclaimed religious figures such as imams and prophets to maintain the population’s obedience by promising a better life in the hereafter.

Indeed, sometimes I wonder why Nigerians can’t imagine a situation where heaven starts here and now and that maybe we are already missing out. It baffles me why Nigerians cannot fathom the idea of a heavenly experience starting in the present moment. Perhaps we are already missing out on such an experience. The truth is that once Nigerians awaken from the artificially induced religious coma they have been in, politicians will flee for their lives. Furthermore, religious leaders — Christians, Muslims, and our contemporary traditional religious leaders —will not escape the wrath of the youth. 

Before it is too late, they should begin to awaken the populace and explain why they have been participating in selecting the hypnagogic portions that, for so long, have kept accompanying us into this comatose state.